South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun Photo: VCG

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Friday that his ministry will pursue President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to China early next year, according to South Korean media.

Cho made the remarks during a policy briefing to the president, outlining his ministry's plans for diplomacy with key countries and regions, as well as major international issues, Yonhap News reported on Friday. 

"In the early part of next year, we will pursue the president's state visit to China," Cho said at the start of the briefing. 

One day before Cho made the remarks, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo held the 11th China-South Korea high-level strategic dialogue between the foreign affairs departments in Beijing on Thursday, according to a release from Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

Ma said that China and South Korea are important neighbors and cooperation partners. Under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders, China-South Korea relations have shown positive and steady momentum. China stands ready to work with South Korea to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, maintain close communication and dialogue, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen coordination in multilateral affairs, and promote the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership along the right track.

Park said that South Korea is willing to work with China to enhance mutual trust, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and advance bilateral relations in a positive direction, according to the release. 

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, according to the release from the Chinese side. 

According to a report from South Korean media outlet The Hankyoreh, South Korea and China are reportedly considering the possibility of President Lee visiting China in January.

Previously, in a report on December 2, Lee said that he hopes to visit China "in the not-too-distant future" and help the two countries become even closer as neighbors. He also noted that "we have encountered challenges of varying degrees but I am convinced that the deep friendship and history we have built together has not wavered," Yonhap reported.

High-level engagement is conducive to the development of China-South Korea bilateral relations, Zhan Debin, director and professor of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times.

Upon taking office, the Lee Jae-myung administration has underscored the importance of relations with China, while advancing a pragmatic diplomacy policy centered on national interests and reaffirming the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership. This orientation carries positive significance for the current state and future trajectory of bilateral ties, said the expert. 

On Friday, Cho also said that the foreign ministry will work to arrange another timely summit between Lee and US President Donald Trump next year and ensure that follow-up steps for the agreements reached at the recent summits in August and October will be carried out, per Yonhap.

He added that his ministry will continue shuttle diplomacy with Japan. While maintaining trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan, it will also promote cooperation among South Korea, China and Japan, and continue necessary communication with Russia as well, the South Korean foreign minister said.

He further noted that, to expand South Korea's economic footprint, the government will push for accession to the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), build partnerships with Japan to deepen economic cooperation, and pursue bilateral economic cooperation agreements with countries such as Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, according to Yonhap News.